


Daughter of Death

by The_Ocean_is_Calling



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Friendship, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-11-29 21:12:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11449137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ocean_is_Calling/pseuds/The_Ocean_is_Calling
Summary: The Fates thought they knew everything that was going to happen, but they were blindsided by a new possibility. The three sisters watched aptly as the most unlikely thing in the world happened: Thanatos became interested in a mortal woman. Their union would result in a child, a daughter, who would change everything and unite two worlds. Anastasia Ward came to be in mid July of 1980, and Fate had grand plans for her.





	1. Prologue

The silence of a peaceful forest at night was interrupted by the crack of apparition. A robed figure arrived, stumbling upon his landing. As he fled, the blood on his robes dripped onto the grass and his wide eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. He knew his pursuers would be close behind, and he was right. Within seconds, a trio of cracks rang out and three people in black battle cloaks hit the ground running.

“Halt!” A female voice shouted out. “Victoria Ward, MACUSA Auror Department: Hunter Division. Surrender now or be eliminated!” Victoria identified herself, as Hunter protocol dictated. “Henry, Max,” She said quietly to the two men at her side “fan out. Henry to the left, Max to the right. We’re going to try a pincer attack to at least get him to stand still.”

Henry and Max both nodded, they had their orders and would follow them to the letter. Victoria stayed on the path directly behind the fleeing criminal. That dark wizard had just killed 20 young No-Maj girls in a deluded attempt to extend his own life, they could not mess this up. The Hunter division’s task was to bring in all dark wizards and witches, if possible, or kill them if need be. The dark wizard was showing no signs of surrendering, occasionally stumbling as he tried to flee faster so he could apparate before the Hunters could track his trail.

“Halt! This is Captain Ward, MACUSA Auror Department: Hunter Division. This is your final warning! Surrender or be eliminated!” Hunter protocol dictated the warning must be given twice before engaging in combat.

The man kept running, dodging around trees as he went. His dark brown wand, covered in drying blood, raised over his left shoulder. Lava red, cursed fire shot out from the tip of his wand, instantly incinerating the trees in front of Victoria.

“ _Protego Maxima Horribilis!_ ” She shouted on instinct. A stronger variation of the shield charm encased her and the flames washed over her shield harmlessly, spread out and unable to harm their intended target.

“Captain!” Henry and Max called out, they had made it to either sides of the wizard. The pincer attack was ready.

“I’m fine! Lethal force is authorized, I’ll deal with the paperwork later!” She responded.

Henry grinned, killing wasn’t something he enjoyed but he loved a good fight. Max remained stoic and sent out two _Diffindos_ at the man, aimed at his neck and knees. Henry, in his excitement, sent an overpowered _Bombarda Maxima_ flying at the man.

With a sharp movement of his wand, the dark wizard formed a different kind of shield. The Hunter’s spells were reflected off of it, speeding back to their casters. Max launched himself to the side just in time, two large gashes tore into the tree trunk where he had been.

Henry tried to dodge but his right foot got stuck in between two roots. His eyes darted between the exploding spell hurtling towards him and the root he was struggling to break free from. He wasn’t going to make it; his own spell was getting ever closer by the second. Henry looked at his teammates, seeing the horror on their faces and Max’s wand raising to help him, before closing his eyes. The spell hit him and he screamed, but it was over in seconds and the charred pieces of his body fell to the ground.

“Henry!” Victoria roared at the sight of her dead teammate. Next month they would have been celebrating 8 years together as a team and now he was gone. Gone. Just like that.

She withdrew a Hunter standard issue knife from her boot and sprinted straight for the dark wizard. The knife had a bloodletting curse on it, for a quick death. Max snarled, throwing a chain of spells at the dark wizard to keep him busy. The hooded man was too busy deflecting, countering, or shielding himself from the volley to notice the rapid approach of Victoria.

She launched herself upon the dark wizard as soon as he brought his shield down and tackled him to the ground. Hunters were always taught physical combat by No-Majs, the majority of wizards and witches never expected to be attacked by non-magical means.

“Fuck you, scum!” She threw a solid right hook at his ugly, bewildered face. Punch after punch, knife clenched in her right fist, she pelted her grief into his face. His hood had come off during the fall, showing blistered, red skin, sunken eyes and cheeks, and a sneering mouth with some of the yellowest teeth Victoria had ever seen.

Max leveled his wand at the pair, trying to line up a shot, but Victoria was too close and the tears streaming down his face were distorting his vision. He could do nothing.

Victoria relented in her barrage and lifted the cursed knife, ready to plunge it into the dark wizard’s neck. As she brought down her arm, the man raised his wand, pointed at her stomach. As the knife sliced through his jugular vein he cast a silent Entrail-Expelling curse, launching Victoria off of him with his last breath. It was a quick, panicked spell, but powerful all the same.

“Shit, Captain!” Max ignored the dark wizard’s body and rushed over to Victoria. She had hit the ground some feet away, blood quickly pooling around her midsection. Max, being the only one on the team with any proficiency in healing spells, cast as many as he could, as quickly as he could, to try and give her enough time to get to a hospital.

“Captain, you’re going to be alright. I promise you. I’m not going to lose you and Henry in the same day.” Max’s spells were slowing her bleeding by healing some of the more minor wounds and applying a pressure to the area. Victoria winced but mind was already distancing herself from the physical pain.

“Maximus Grant,” she began, her voice rasping and slow, “It has been an honor to work by your side.” She was saying goodbye. She knew, no matter how many spells Max used, she would not survive this.

“You’re going to live Captain!” Max all but shouted at her. He continued in a softer voice, “Protocol dictates that I secure the area. I’m going to call for backup so you just sit tight Captain. Help should be here in five minutes, just hold on that long.” Max stood and cast a protective shield over the dying Victoria before going to sweep the area. The night was getting colder, or maybe that was death seeping into her bones, but Victoria smiled. He was near, her love.

“Thanatos…” She called out to him. The sounds of the night faded and in the silence, a quiet flutter of robes reached her ears. The God of Death rose from the shadow of a tree next to her. His steps were muted as crossed the short distance to her.

“Tori.” Thanatos stood over her, listening to her gasping breaths. Victoria would be gone soon, and this would be his last time with her.

“I don’t have long…I found the spell. I have to do it.” Her voice had the flat affect that people have when their brains are trying to cope with incredible pain.

Thanatos knew the spell she was referring to, it had been hidden from the mortals for a reason. It hurt him somewhere deep in his godly soul to hear her struggling words, to know what was to come. He nodded his head, he would not try to change her mind. Victoria gave two wet, hacking coughs. Blood started leaking from her wounds again as Max's pressure spell started to fade.

“I, Victoria Rose Ward, of sound mind and complete freedom, offer a deal. My soul, my existence, my afterlife, to the Gods in exchange for one, selfless favor.  _Thusia_!” If was even harder to speak now, especially in ancient Greek.This spell would shatter her soul into pieces, each piece going to one of the Gods.

Souls are powerful, and one that is relinquished of the soul’s own will for the sake of another could be said to be more powerful than even a God. Lightning flashed overhead, despite the absence of any clouds. The Gods accepted her deal. Victoria’s stressed body sagged in relief.

“Take care of her. Raise your daughter Thanatos, that is my wish.” She was out of time.

“You have offered your soul for reasons pure, the Gods accept your deal and grant your wish. So mote it be.” Thanatos finalized the ritual and magic saturating the air around them.

“Thank you, my love…” Her voice trailed off. Victoria Ward died with the knowledge that her demigod daughter would be safe. Her soul rose from her body, white and pulsating, as bright as a star in space. It shattered into fourteen pieces, one for each of the Olympians, one for Lord Hades, and one for the father of her child.

Thanatos was surprised to find himself on the receiving end of a soul piece as it rocketed into his being, the other pieces speeding off to their recipients. For a brief moment, he felt something he had never felt before in his existence, and would likely never feel again. Victoria’s sacrifice of her being, her soul piece, let him feel love.

He staggered backwards at the force of the feeling, leaning against a tree for support. An immortal being so entwined with Death cannot feel love on their own. It lasted for a few seconds before dissipating as the soul piece bound to his own and he felt his power increase significantly.

Thanatos regarded Victoria’s body with as much fondness as he could muster. Four minutes and forty-five seconds after Max had started his sweep, Thanatos sunk into a shadow to retrieve his three-year-old daughter. Fifteen seconds later Max returned just as five pops of apparition rang out, and the wizarding world of the United States of America discovered the death of the best Hunter and Warder they had seen within recent memory.


	2. Chapter 1

Why today? Of all days, why today? Early that morning Lord Hades had sent Alecto, his only tolerable Fury, to her room with a summons. After breakfast, Ana was to head to the throne room. She’d been expecting a day of training, like usual, and then a feast for dinner like they did every year on her birthday. But today Ana had to sit through breakfast wondering what Lord Hades wanted from her.

Had she done something wrong? Was she going to be kicked out of the palace? Was Persephone going to dominate more of her time to treat her like a demigod dress-up doll? Was she failing in her training and they were going to throw her in the Styx? Last time she’d been summoned was because she’d knocked over a brazier onto some palace guards, completely on accident.

If she’d been anyone else, she would have been dead then. Lord Hades had been furious. Ana had been on her best behavior since then. Just because she was Thanatos’ daughter didn’t mean it was an impossibility for Lord Hades to one day decide it was acceptable to kill her for any small grievance. He had anger issues.

It was a long walk from her room to the throne room through the dimly lit halls. Lord Hades had been generous enough to allow her to use a room at his palace, though she was placed in a room far away from the main activity just in case a god from Olympus came to visit for some reason. Even though her mother had made a deal with the gods, her father had wanted to keep her a secret from the Olympians for as long as he could. It had been a success so far. No god that didn’t reside in the Underworld knew about her. That was probably a good thing though, the other gods might try and use her for whatever they wanted. They might monopolize all her time and she would never get to see her father or Aunt Hecate again.

Fifteen minutes later and she had made it to the main hall. Standing before her were the immensely large onyx doors to the throne room. Lord Hades preferred the color black and enjoyed how different his palace looked from the white marble and gold of Olympus. As she waited for the doors to open, Ana fiddled with the end of her braid. A nervous habit.

Her braid was a compromise. A few years ago, her father had tried to convince her to cut her hair. Keep it short he’d said, like a warrior. Her hair was what she really loved about herself. It was as black as the darkest corners of the Underworld and had grown past her shoulders.

Ana had but a single picture of her mother and she treasured it. Her mother had long, straight hair that fell to her mid-back. It was brown, unlike Ana’s, and darker than the bark on the tree in Lady Persephone’s Garden.

Ana loved her mother, despite not remembering her. She wanted to grow her hair to look more like her mom. They had very similar facial features, but those could change. Her hair would very likely stay the same.

Ana would never openly oppose her father. She loved him too. So, she manipulated him into letting her keep her hair long by purposefully throwing a level 5 tantrum. Talking about mom made her father sad, so she just never told him. He asked her to keep it in a braid when she was out and about as it would be less likely to get in the way. Ana happily agreed if it meant she would get to keep it long.

She was jolted from her memories by the moans of the doors as they opened. It sounded like the souls in the Field of Punishment. She’d learned about that place, and what you had to do to get sentenced there, but she’d never been allowed to go in.

Ana took a deep breath, readying herself for the worst before entering the room. She was greeted with the sight of not one, but three gods waiting for her. Lord Hades, her father, and her mother figure, Lady Hecate. This most certainly could not be good. If Lord Hades had called them here she must have done something wrong without realizing it. He was going to throw her in the Styx. Her father and her aunt were here to say goodbye!

They looked different too, which added to Ana’s trepidation, more formal. Lord Hades usually wore black leather pants, black peasant blouses, and leather studded accessories. The definition of what her Aunt Hecate called “rock & roll”.

Her father preferred an all-black suit with his hair slicked back for his daily duties. Very professional and somewhat intimidating, perfect for collecting souls.

Her Aunt Hecate usually dressed in black robes with ever changing silver designs moving across the fabric like they were alive. It looked beautiful on her no matter what Phase she was in. 

That morning they were all at their godly height, towering over her as she walked to the center of the room.

Lord Hades wore black draped robes that moved like smoke even as he sat still on his throne. His Helm of Darkness rested menacingly upon his head, pulsating waves of shadows. The one thing that hadn’t changed about him was the bored sneer that he always showed when not around Lady Persephone.

Lady Hecate wore an ornate robe of the deepest violet, silver arm bands and rings, crowned with a silver triple moon circlet. She looked down at Ana with a kind smile on her face. That at least was familiar.

Her father was the one who had changed the most. He had on a black robe tied with a silver belt, and a plain silver circlet half hidden under his loose medium length black hair. And wings. Her father had wings. Big, black, fluffy wings. Where had those been all her life? Could he fly? Why hadn’t he shown her before?

“Lord Hades, Lord Thanatos, Lady Hecate, I am at your command.” She greeted, kneeling before them. Her lessons in manners overrode her incredible nervousness, though some shakiness could not be kept out of her voice.

“Rise, Anastasia Ward. There is much to be discussed this morning and my schedule is packed today.” Lord Hades addressed her, adding a disgruntled mumble of “Like always” at the end.

“Happy 10th Birthday Ana.” Lady Hecate’s warm voice floated down, contrasting heavily with the Lord of the Dead’s grumpiness. Her father nodded his head at her, his own greeting. He’d always preferred to be quiet around other gods.

“Yes, yes. Happy Birthday Anastasia.” Lord Hades waved his hand lazily. “You’re here today to discuss what will happen in one year’s time, you can celebrate your birthday later.”

“Ana, we haven’t told you much about your mother, but do you remember the stories I did tell you? About her using magic?” Lady Hecate questioned, eye flicking over to Thanatos. His lips thinned with tension and his eyes lost some of their light. He was still grieving even now.

“Yes, Aunt Hecate! You told me stories about her battles! How she used magic for good. Her job was to help people by catching bad people, like the ones in the field of punishment!” Ana recited enthusiastically. She may not remember her mother, but she looked up to her.

“Well, she wasn’t a demigod of mine like you thought.” Lady Hecate started. “She was a descendant of one of my demigod children from long, long ago. Frederick Ward was the founder of your family and was part of a world my children, their children, and my gifted created. The wizarding world. In that world, my gifted, and most times my children, are considered muggleborns. Meaning they have no wizard or witch parents.

“Frederick lived what is now called the United Kingdom, and he attended a wizarding school called Hogwarts. He thought of himself as a wizard, he never knew he was a demigod. No one knew and it was better that way. Many generations passed and the Ward family, considered a Most Ancient House, moved here to the United States for more business opportunities. Your mother was considered a pureblood witch, but she was a Legacy of mine.” Hecate smiled at the expression of wonder on Ana’s face. She loved her children, but because of the ancient laws she wasn’t able to care for them the way she wanted. So, she doted on Ana like a daughter. It was the only chance she was going to get.

Ana was surprised. Her mother wasn’t a demigod? Her mother was a witch? That was awesome! Her mother could do powerful magic without being Aunt Hecate’s actual daughter! Ana had never heard the term “Legacy” before. She didn’t know demigods had children, she thought they never lived long enough to do so.

“Next year,” Thanatos began, his deep soothing voice interrupting Ana’s thoughts, “you will receive a letter of invitation to Hogwarts. You will attend. It will be different than your magic lessons with Hecate, but you will still find it informative. You’re a witch Ana, not just a demigod with magical ability. A demigod, and a witch.”

“Enough with the explanations!” Lord Hades barked out, his usual irritated mood showing itself. “We’re giving you a Quest. It is to be completed over the course of a few years. Do you accept?”

“Yes, Lord Hades!” Ana replied, excited to experience the world outside.

“Hades!” Lady Hecate scolded over Ana’s reply. “You cannot ask her to accept the Quest without telling her what it is.”

“Bah!” Lord Hades scoffed. “It’s not like demigods have a choice anyways. One of you explain, since you’re so fond of dragging things out. I have other things I need to be doing!” He stormed out of the throne room, robes billowing dramatically around him, shadows clinging to him as he passed.

“Father, Aunt Hecate, I want to do this! Please, tell me what I need to do.” Anna looked up at both of them, eyes as black as the void, like her father’s, and shining with fake, unshed tears. Her mouth in full pout position, another one of her manipulations.

“No mortal should have that kind of power.” Thanatos grumbled. Knowing it was fake did nothing to dull the effects of The Pout. Still, she was his only daughter, and he would always have an Ana sized soft spot in his heart.

“No need to pout Ana, we shall tell you.” Lady Hecate chuckled to mask her own weakness to The Pout.

Lady Hecate stirred the air, making circles with her hands. Sparkling green smoke rose up from the floor between the gods and Ana, a shadow appearing within the smoke. It grew tall, taller than Ana. As the smoke faded, she was left staring at a man.

The man was smirking, like his plans were already succeeding right under their noses. His defined, high cheekbones and angular jawline looked sharp enough to cut glass with.  He gave off an aura of danger, but that wasn’t scary to her. It was his eyes that were frightening. Intense red eyes, burning like hot coals that promised eternal pain stared back at her.

“This is Tom Riddle Jr. He’s a wizard who has cheated death.” At Lady Hecate’s words Ana’s eyes shot to her father incredulously. How could someone escape him? “He immersed himself in the darkest of magics, and used one such dark magic to create Horcruxes. Creating a Horcrux requires the creator to commit murder, and do a ritual that…I won’t explain because it is too awful.”

“Horcruxes are usually made from objects, be they random or of value, but occasionally someone makes a Horcrux of a living being. They contain and anchor pieces of the soul to the world of the living, meaning that Tom Riddle cannot die.” Thanatos’ voice was bitter as they traded off explanations.

“Yes, he mutilated his soul so he wouldn’t die. His physical body was killed a few years ago, but his main soul is still above, haunting the world like a wraith. He is weak, but he is alive. And we do not know where.” Lady Hecate cut in, her nose scrunching in disgust. Lady Hecate, and most of the immortals, considered souls sacred. Tearing apart a soul like that was one of the worst crimes a mortal could commit.

“Your quest will be to hunt down all of his soul containers and destroy them. Then, when you find his main soul, send him to the Underworld. But only after you destroy ALL of the soul containers, the Horcruxes. Otherwise, he will not die.” Thanatos’ feathers ruffled, betraying his anger. Once Riddle was here, Thanatos would make sure he suffered. 

“I-,” Ana paused, her voice unsure, “I’ll have to kill him. Won’t I.” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yes Ana. You will, one day. But you have years to prepare.” Lady Hecate looked down at Ana in sympathy. Normal children shouldn’t have to think about killing. However, the life of a demigod was not a normal one.

Ana was quiet. She didn’t want to murder someone, murderers went to the Fields of Punishment. Killing was bad, but her mother had done it to bad wizards and witches who’d hurt people. Was it murder if it was in defense of the innocent? She guessed not, since her mother was good. 

“I accept. I will find Tom Riddle Jr., and his soul pieces, and send him here for punishment.” Ana spoke with resolve. She may be a kid, but she’d picked up on how uneasy her father and aunt were. Riddle must be especially evil.

“We will have to add to your daily training. Geography, etiquette, nature studies, and history won’t be enough to succeed in your Quest. Meet me out in Persephone’s Garden, we’re going to start your magic training.” Lady Hecate shrank to human size and hugged the girl she saw as her own child. “I’m proud of you.” She whispered to Ana before disappearing with a cadence of chimes, leaving Ana alone with her father. 

Thanatos also shrunk as he approached his daughter. Ana may have had his coloring, pale skin with black hair and eyes, but her face was all her mother. He felt another pang of grief just from looking at her.

However, his grief would not stop him from showing Ana a rare moment of affection. He too leaned down to hug her, though not as tightly as Hecate had.

Ana locked her arms around him in return, hugging him fiercely. Affection from him was to be treasured. The hug only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough. Like always, Thanatos pulled away first. He stood straight, his face blank.

“I have a small addition to your Quest.” He began softly. “Many years ago, I was…tricked by some of Hecate’s wizards.” A dark shadow fell over his eyes at the mere mention of them. “Their names were Peverell. There were three of them, brothers, and I gave each of them an item. An unbeatable wand, a stone to call back the dead, and a piece of my own cloak of invisibility. I believe the wizards call them the Deathly Hallows. Can you return them to me Anastasia?” He was annoyed with having to admit to being tricked, but he would not pass up the opportunity to remove those powers from the wizards.

“Yes father! I won’t fail you!” Determination burned in her eyes, the thoughts of killing already gone from the front of her mind. Thanatos sighed tiredly, his daughter wouldn’t be able to keep her innocent enthusiasm much longer.

“Thank you, Anastasia.” The shadows of anger fled from his face, the small lift at the corner of his lips the only evidence of his contentment. “I had some things made for you, to help with your Quest.” Thanatos first presented two bracelets to her. They were a dark brown leather with metal studs in them. One stud on each bracelet was slightly larger than the rest.

“These contain xiphos, double edged and dual-wielded short swords. You’ve been expressing interest in starting sword training and I thought it was time.” He fastened them on her wrists for her as she stared in awe at the gifts. “Swipe your fingers along the larger stud to release the swords. Swipe the Theta symbol, my symbol, on the hilts and they will revert to bracelets.”

She did as she was instructed, and two gleaming black swords with wicked double edges appeared in her hands. Her breath hitched. These were weapons. Real, deadly weapons. She ran her fingers over the Thetas and the swords disappeared, the bracelets back on her wrists. 

“I have one more.” This time he presented a ring entirely made out of onyx. “This ring holds a special weapon and you shouldn’t use it unless your life is in danger and you don’t have your swords. Or unless I give you a reason to. The ring will grow with you and will not come off, ever.” He slid the ring on her right middle finger. “It is a scythe, like mine. Rub it with your thumb to release it.”

She rubbed the ring and the weapon materialized in her hands. The scythe was black like the swords, taller than her, and quite heavy. She noticed the Theta on the blade immediately. Her father had a way of claiming her as his to her enemies. He was proud of her.

“Both the scythe and the xiphos are made from Stygian Iron, the metal of the Underworld. It harms both immortals and mortals, unlike Celestial Bronze. But you must be careful, they are very dangerous and you should only use them on someone you intend to kill, as Stygian Iron leeches the life force from your enemies and absorbs them into the metal. They won’t come to the Underworld once they are gone.” Her father explained. She’d forgotten how talkative he could be when they were alone. “Tap the bottom twice on the floor and it will turn back into a ring.”

She returned the scythe to ring form and looked at her feet. Her life had changed so drastically over the course of an hour and she was struggling to take it all in. Her nervousness had faded when she realized she wasn’t in trouble, but now it was back. The weapons, they made her Quest more real in her mind.

“Anastasia.” Her father called quietly. She looked back up at him and saw the small crinkle of his eyes, a smile for him. He looked nice when he smiled, less tired.  “Happy Birthday. Now, go start your new training.”

“Thank you, father.” Ana bowed slightly to him before turning and running energetically towards the gardens, an echoing “Bye Papa, I love you” resonated in the throne room. Thanatos shifted to his normal form, sans wings, and sighed again.

His brow furrowed and his lips thinned. “I hate prophecies.” He muttered angrily before flashing from the room. He had souls to collect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your interest in my story! I would really appreciate some feedback but if you can't that's cool too. I'm going to try for a weekly schedule but I'm doing an internship right now so I am pretty busy and may not be able to make it exactly in a week. Hope you all have a good day/afternoon/night! -TOiC


	3. Chapter 2

Ana spent the time between her 10th birthday and the spring equinox training. She was trained by her Aunt Hecate in magic, and occasionally Circe when she stopped by, and taught how to fight by various dead heroes. Orion started teaching her archery, Achilles taught her swordplay, and Otrera began working with her on hand-to-hand combat. The time they had was not much, and she was young which meant too much stress on her body would do more damage than good, but it was well spent.

Then, the night before the spring equinox, Ana was told that she was to go the Camp Half-Blood in the morning to learn how to interact with living children her own age. Her Quest would fail if she did not know how to blend in like a normal child. She could not risk discovery as a demigod in the wizarding world. Lady Persephone was to escort her to the camp’s borders on her way to Olympus. Her father would have told her earlier, but it took until last minute to get Lady Persephone to agree.

“Remember, little Doll, Thanatos is not going to claim you here. The other demigods would shun you for your parentage and you need to learn how to make friends. It is imperative that you be able to blend in when you go to one of Hecate’s schools in the fall.” Persephone said the word demigod like it left slime coating her tongue. She found them good for only one thing: entertainment.

Chiron cantered to the main entrance merely a minute after the unlikely pair arrived. He was so shocked at the appearance of the goddess that he did not notice the small girl behind her, partially hidden by the drapes of Persephone’s peplos.

“Lady Persephone,” Chiron extended his right foreleg and bowed in respect to the goddess, “it is an honor. May I ask what brings you to Camp Half-Blood this morning?” He questioned in his politest tone, everyone knew Persephone despised being separated from her husband, Lord Hades, for even two mortal seasons. It was in his best interest to not anger her.

“I have a delivery.” She stated simply, reaching behind her to push Anastasia forwards. “Introduce yourself and be good, little Doll.” Anastasia scowled at the nickname, but she knew it was better for Persephone to view her as nothing more than a doll to dress up than to want her dead. Lady Persephone shone brightly for but a moment before flashing to Olympus, Chiron and Anastasia had clenched their eyes closed to avoid dying from witnessing Lady Persephone’s true form.

Anastasia opened her eyes and stared at Chiron. She had never seen a centaur before, but after playing with Cerberus and some of his puppies as a child nothing inhuman fazed her anymore.

Chiron stared right back at Ana, fearing her to be a child of Hades, because why else would Persephone bring a child to camp and look so annoyed doing so. The Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were forbidden to have children due to a pact they made after World War 2. Persephone could have been guarding the girl from Zeus’ wrath at Hades’ request. Plus, the child exuded an aura that made him feel…unsettled.

“My name is Anastasia Ward.” She gave a formal bow to Chiron. “I am ten years old and I know who my godly parent is. The knowledge that I know is to stay secret, please.” Anastasia knew requesting this would seem odd, but Lord Hades said it would be a hindrance to her should Chiron not know anything about her. “I am, however, allowed to tell you that my parent is not Lord Hades, but that is all.”

Chiron felt guilty about feeling relieved at this news, but also suspicious. The girl could be lying and he would not know. He would have to keep an eye on her.

“Welcome to Camp-Half Blood, Anastasia. I am Chiron, the activities director here at camp. I will show you the way to the dining pavilion, breakfast will be starting soon. You will be introduced to the rest of the campers there, and sit with the members of the Hermes Cabin, cabin number 11, which is where you will be staying while you are here. Do you have any questions?” Usually he would take new campers to the Big House to show them the orientation video, but he sensed that this camper did not need it. Perhaps he would question her in a few days, when she’s settled in and let down her guard.

“No sir. Thank you for your hospitality.” Anastasia performed a half bow this time. Being raised in the Underworld required her to learn manners as soon as possible to avoid offending the multiple Gods and Goddesses that lived there. It was yet another thing that put Chiron on edge, no regular ten-year-old acted like this. But there was nothing he could do but watch and wait.

Ana was surprised by the number of demigods at camp, and at seeing all of the creatures she’d learned about in her lessons with her Aunt Hecate in real life. Satyrs and nymphs! She thought she saw a naiad jump out of the lake she could see in the distance. She would have to be on her best behavior to make sure she didn’t step on anyone’s toes.

A rotund Dionysus introduced her at breakfast as “Anabel Word” and that she was undetermined. He hated demigods and always got their name wrong intentionally. The Hermes table all groaned but made a space for her. The table was packed with other campers, a rowdy bunch at that. They were nothing like the inhabitants of the Underworld she was used to interacting with. Still, she made her way to the spot they squeezed open for her and sat down.

“Hello, I am Anastasia Ward. Pleased to meet you.” The table fell nearly silent at her introduction, an unusual feat that required an equally unusual reason. Polite little girls seemed to be unusual enough here.

“Sup. I’m Camden Jacobs, son of Hermes. I am the cabin counselor so if you need anything, don’t come to me unless you think you’re dying. I’ll have Lena show you around after breakfast, I don’t want to and she’s free this morning.” Camden drawled uncaringly. He was a tall boy in his mid-teens, lanky, but had lean muscle. He turned away from Ana and winked at an unnaturally beautiful girl.

A scoff from down the table revealed who Lena was. She looked to be only a few years younger than Camden, and seemed wholly unimpressed with being the designated guide. Lena rolled her eyes, but she gave Ana a small smile that didn’t seem as forced as it could have been.

When it was time to grab their food, Lena showed Ana how to sacrifice part of her meal to the Gods. “You just scoop a little of the good stuff in, they don’t eat like we do, but they like the smell. Just pick one since you’re unclaimed.”

Ana did so quietly, sending the offering to her father. “Father. I seem to be accepted here so far. The other demigods are…impolite. I believe I may have to relax my manners in order to fit in. There have been no incidents yet.” Her report was short and concise, another thing Otrera had taught her how to do.

Breakfast was a loud affair. The other residents of the Hermes Cabin kept stealing bits of her food even though their own plates were full. After the fourth time, Ana smacked the hand of the thief and gave them a glare like the ones her father gives to people he terms “idiots”. That ended the pilfering of her food. Lena smirked at that, a little girl owning one of the “tough guys” of the cabin. Once the horn sounded to end breakfast, every demigod got up and dashed out of the dining pavilion.

“Alright kid, time for your tour. I’m Lena Schultz.” Lena dispassionately ushered Ana around the camp. They went past the Big House, the store, the different training grounds, and finally the rock climbing wall. Ana remained indifferent the whole time. Who would be impressed with a lava wall when you’d walked along a river made of flame? Each cabin she was shown also failed to produce a reaction, which Lena was fine with. It was somewhat nice to have a calm new camper for once, even if said camper was a bit weird.

“You handed yourself pretty well at breakfast, kid. Where’d you learn how to glare like that anyways?” Lena asked Ana as they came up to Cabin 11, Hermes Cabin. The older girl leaned herself against one of the walls, the cracked, brown paint popping under the pressure.

“My father doesn’t have much patience for idiocy, and he doesn’t like to yell. I learned from him.” Ana stated flatly. It wouldn’t hurt to give out that information. In fact, if the campers thought her Godly parent was her mother it would help against being discovered. Lena gave Ana an appraising once-over, then nodded decisively.

“You’re weird, kid, but weird is better than annoying. I’m unclaimed as well, and living in the Hermes Cabin can be hell for someone who is not used to being around jerks with sticky fingers.” Lena pushed off the wall and pat Ana on the head twice, mussing up Ana’s braided hair. Ana gave Lena the same glare that they had just been talking about, her coal black eyes sparked with the heat of a looming inferno.

But Lena just chuckled, “You have to show me how to do that, kid.”

The rest of the day passed with little interruption. Lena decided she liked Anastasia, and skipped her own lessons to join Ana at hers. Ana was starting to have fun, even though she had to hold herself back from performing too well.

Everything was fine until they got to the strawberry fields. It was quickly discovered that she had the exact opposite of a green thumb. She’d killed a strawberry plant by sneezing on it, and was banned from working with plants.

After that Ana and Lena went to the paddocks, but that was a bust as well. The Pegasi were too weary of her to let her near them, but Ana didn’t mind. She already knew most animals were skittish around her, being the daughter of the God of Death meant only hellhounds, snakes, and certain birds actually liked her.

Being raised by her father had many perks. Her mother’s sacrifice meant that the ancient law stating that the gods could not directly interfere with the lives of demigods did not apply to her. Some of the other gods and goddesses would jump at the chance to interact with a demigod child, as they could not interact with their own. Her aunt, Lady Hecate, was a mother figure to her, though Ana could never bring herself to call her that. Lady Hecate had taught Ana a couple spells, started on potions instruction, and even taught her how to bring her magic to her hands and keep it there. That exercise was supposed to help with magical control.

But Lady Hecate had also given Ana something much more precious than lessons: stories about Ana’s mother Victoria. Ana didn’t remember her mother anymore; she used to, but the small flashes of warmth and love she did have from those times had faded. Her father refused to talk about her mother. Her aunt said that he cared for Victoria as much as he was able to, which was how much he cared for her, his daughter.

Lessons continued despite her reminiscing. During her first sword practice at camp, Ana found that the swords they used were very poorly weighted. She’d only been training in the Underworld for seven months now with her swords, but handling the camp swords made her look like a beginner again. She longed for her xiphos.

“You’re gripping them wrong, kid.” Lena was just trying to be helpful, but it came off condescending. She was sounding like Orion, Ana did not like Orion. He was cocky and rude, a horrible teacher but an exceptional archer.

Sword practice ended with no improvement, which was good, Ana thought belatedly. Failure stung, but it would not do for her to seem too competent. As she made her way back to Cabin 11 for her first night at Camp Half-Blood, she rubbed the leather on her bracelets, a new comforting habit.

There was no Cerberus here, no skeletons or ghosts to bother. No hallways to explore. No dangerous rivers to walk along. Camp Half-Blood was boring compared to her home. But hopefully, her time here would become more interesting.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay! It's been very hectic and I've just realized I accidentally deleted chapter 3. So I am re-uploading chapters 3 and 4, with an added chapter 5!

The spring and summer Anastasia spent at camp were very informative. She learned that if she just gave into the Aphrodite Cabin’s pleas to play with her hair at least once a week, then they became very protective of her. They loved her hair for some reason, and they wouldn’t let anyone harm it.

The first time they proved this was about a month into Ana’s time at camp, a trio of Ares campers had cornered her outside of Cabin 11 and were making fun of her small size and apparent weakness. The year-rounders in the Aphrodite cabin, five girls and two boys, had been lounging on the lawn chairs in front of their cabin, soaking up the sun. They’d heard the Ares campers, as loud seemed to be the only setting those brutes had, and descended upon them like angry harpies. Their sharp, immaculate manicures were perfect for scratching up faces.

The group of Ares campers scowled and left, eyes promising revenge. They knew that they were outnumbered, and usually that wouldn’t matter, but the situation was drawing attention and they couldn’t bully all the witnesses into silence.

The bullies found all of their armor ruined and their hair cut in horribly unflattering ways when they woke up the next morning. All of children of Ares would glare at her after that, like their prey that got away. Ana might have been able to take them on her own, but then she would have exposed herself to be more skilled than she had appeared. Ana wished she could smack them all with the flat side of her xiphos

They Ares campers got their revenge by doing little things, like knocking the bow rack over on her during archery practice and helping her up but nearly crushing her hand in the process. They followed her everywhere she went, waiting for her to be alone with no witnesses around. They didn’t care that she was ten, they wanted a second chance at beating her up. They never got it. Ana made sure never to go anywhere alone.

\---

During her time at camp, Ana learned about one of her powers in a nearly disastrous way. Thankfully only Lena was with her at the time, and she swore not to tell anyone what she saw. 

The two girls had taken a night walk through the North Woods, within the camp’s boundaries. Lena had had a bad day and needed the cathartic release of a fight. Ana had offered to help. The fight started out fine, it was a mock fight and neither of them was trying to hurt the other. But it got out of hand quickly.

Lena couldn’t stop thinking about being put on strawberry field duty for the next week, her punishment. One of the worst in Lena’s opinion, she hated plants and dirt, especially the gross worms in the dirt.

Lena had orchestrated a prank on the Hermes Cabin. Who would think someone would prank the cabin they lived in? It had gone flawlessly on her end, no one suspected her. Putting pigment bombs in everyone’s pillows, including hers and Ana’s, was not a one-person job though, she’d needed a lookout. The next day, after angry members of the Hermes cabin complained to Chiron, the Apollo boy who had helped Lena accidentally let it slip to one of his cabin mates that it was her prank. A goody-two-shoes in the Apollo cabin told Chiron. So, Lena got caught. It was extremely rare for her to get caught which left her furious at her misfortune.

Lena’s swings became stronger, more violent, as she got caught up in her emotions.

Ana was caught off guard and Lena landed a hit, slicing open Ana’s left bicep. 

Shocked, furious, and bleeding, Ana stumbled backwards. She felt a tightness gather in her chest before her body released a wave of something black at Lena.

Somehow, Lena rolled to the side in time to avoid the rapidly approaching attack.

The trees behind her weren’t so lucky. The bark started drying and turning black where the wave hit. Within seconds the blackened bark sloughed off the tree. It was dying.

Lena ran from the clearing leaving Ana there, confused and bleeding.

The next day Lena apologized for taking things too far, and for losing control. Ana apologized as well, even though it was a complete accident on Ana’s part. It was quiet between them after that. They would need some time to truly get over what almost happened. Ana zoned out for most of her lessons that day, too affected by the talk she’d had with her father the previous night about her new powers.  

Apparently, she had inherited in the simplest terms, a “death ray”. She would have to learn to control it, and her emotions, if she wanted to not accidentally kill something.

So, every night, Ana snuck out to practice with her black beam of death by targeting rocks and clumps of grass tied into balls with some twine for target practice. It was Lena’s idea to use the grass, the nature spirits wouldn’t be too angry over it compared to killing whole trees. Ana was surprised that Lena wanted to help. When she’d asked why she was pleasantly surprised at the answer.

“You’re my friend.” Lena had said. “One of the very few I have. I messed up and lost control. You messed up and lost control. We’re both at fault, and I’d be stupid to let something like that get in the way of our friendship. Now, are you going to practice so you don’t almost kill me again, or what?”

With one morbid joke, their friendship was on the fast track to mending.

\---

By the summer solstice, Ana had already made a few more friends. Keao Mahi’ai, a boy from the Apollo cabin she’d met after her arm injury, took pity on her not knowing even basic first aid. So, he taught her how to properly apply bandages, how to stitch minor wounds, and even how to set sprains and broken bones. They quickly became friends _._

Keao had other talents as well _,_ he’d tried to teach Ana how to play the guitar but they soon found that Ana had no musical talent. The Aphrodite cabin was ecstatic at their contact. They kept talking about something called Aneao, though some argued it was Keana, but Ana never understood just what they were talking about.

Brandon Collins was a son of Athena who was horrified to discover that Ana had never learned anything about Math or Science. He took teaching her those things as his job. He’d hunt her down and if she wasn’t doing anything important, he would drag her to the Athena cabin and go through the basics with her. Surprisingly she was awful with the subjects, though she had much room to improve.

Simple biology and chemistry were fine, but math by itself was something Ana had come to dread, especially because Brandon wouldn’t let her use one of the calculators she’d seen another camper using.

It was a long process, but Ana was finally able to interact with the other campers with minimal social blunders. No more staring too much, no more long, awkward silences. Her mission at Camp Half-Blood was a success. 

\---

Ana also learned that she loved swimming, although that discovery came with an unexpected consequence. Once again, Lena was the only one to witness this happen, because she was there to teach Ana how to swim at the Canoe Lake.

Things did not go as planned. When Ana got waist deep in the water, she was dragged under by a Nereid. The Nereid dragged her all the way from the lake to Atlantis, a large bubble of air her only supply of oxygen.

Back on the surface, Lena to bolted to the Big House in a panic.

Inside the palace in Atlantis, the Nereid dropped Ana in from of a man with wild black hair, and seafoam green eyes. The glowing trident that was shoved under her chin identified the man.

“Who are you?!” He bellowed, his voice slightly distorted by the bubble around her head.

“L-Lord Poseidon!” Ana stuttered, unable to form more words.

“Don’t make me repeat myself girl!” The angry Lord of the Sea shoved his trident a little closer, threatening to pop her bubble.

“A-Anastasia Ward, s-sir.” She paused, clearing her throat before revealing more about herself. She didn’t want to ruin her father’s desire to keep her existence a secret from the Olympians, but sharing that might save her life. A dead demigod can’t complete a quest. “Demigod daughter of Lord Thanatos, sir.”

“What?” Came the shocked reply from Lord Poseidon, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Death Boy had a daughter?”

“Um, yes sir. I turn 11 later this summer, July 22nd to be exact, sir.” Ana had regained some of her composure, but her hands twitched, itching for the comfort of twirling her braid. 

All was silent for a few moments before loud, warm laughter filled the small room they were in.

“This is too good! Where have you been? No, don’t answer that.” Lord Poseidon removed his trident from under her chin and let the glow of power fade. 

“It makes sense when you think about it. We were all wondering what that woman’s wish was for, it was spoken too quietly for us to hear at the time. The offer of a soul piece was too good to pass up so we didn’t care too much about what the wish was. Then when the pieces fused with us it was incredible. We haven’t felt like that in a very long time, you know. We forgot to ask Death Boy about it afterwards. So, you’ve been living in the Underworld, right?” Lord Poseidon’s mood had shifted from serious to amused over the course of his rambling. She was dazed.

“Um, yes sir. My mother asked him to care for me and the spell overrode the ancient laws.” Ana was still reeling from almost dying, and the Sea God’s turbulent emotions. This situation was too weird. Since when was Lord Poseidon deductive like Athena?

“Makes sense to me! Enjoy your swim kid, and try to get some sun! You look like death warmed over!” With that short dismissal, the Nereid appeared and rocketed Ana back to camp, the god’s boisterous, echoing laughter fading rapidly. Lord Poseidon had to be helping with the speed of their travel.

“Sorry about that sweetie, orders are orders. Didn’t mean to scare you so bad. You’ll be safe in the water now; Lord Poseidon seems to like you. If you get in trouble in the camp’s lake just yell. My name is Amphithoe.” Ana was left in the shallows, disoriented, confused, and still not knowing how to swim, but strong enough to stand up and walk out of the lake.

She collapsed on the shore, trying to wrap her head around meeting an Olympian and going from near death to “he seems to like you” in the span of twenty minutes.

Chiron found her lying there a few minutes later, Lena not far behind.

\---

On the morning of her 11th birthday Ana feigned sick so she could stay in the Hermes Cabin to wait for her Hogwarts letter. She didn’t want to explain to anyone why she was getting owl mail. It came relatively early, not to long after the other campers had left for breakfast.

The owl flew in the open window, tired and wanting to rest. But it got an unpleasant surprise. Animals were terrified of her, and the owl was not an exception. It felt her aura and freaked out, flinging the letter at her face.

Ana dodged the incoming potential papercut as the owl turned sharply to fly back out the window. In its frantic attempt to escape, it flew smack into a bunkbed frame and fell to the floor. 

“Oh no!” Ana rushed to check on it, just because animals didn’t like her did not mean that she didn’t love animals. “Are you okay?”

The poor thing couldn’t be blamed for acting like it did. It just laid there on its back, flapping its wings to try and get up and screeching up a storm. So, Ana did the one thing she could think of. She took her blanket from her bed and tossed it on the owl. The trick worked, it calmed down after a few minutes.

|I’m so sorry. Um, I’m going to grab you, so please, stay calm.” She slowly crept up to the blanket covered owl. But as soon as she picked it up, it started thrashing and screeching again. 

Chiron was leaving the breakfast pavilion early when he was greeting with the sight of Ana running towards the Athena Cabin with a moving, screaming blanket in her arms. He was originally going to check on Ana, maybe assist her to the infirmary, but instead he turned to walk to the Big House. He did not want to know what was going on, he couldn’t deal with this kind of thing so early in the morning. 

Ana threw open the Athena Cabin’s door and dumped the owl inside. She’d never been in there without Brandon before.

“Here. Owls like Athena. You can rest here.” Ana said, out of breath from panic. Two girls around her age were sitting on a bed to her right, staring at her in horror. Demigods were not supposed to enter other demigods’ cabins without Chiron’s permission, like for tutoring. Ana realized they were there and choked, frozen like a deer in headlights.

“IfoundthishurtowlandbirdshatemesoIbroughtithereokaybye!” The words rushed from her mouth, unstoppable, and she took off running from the cabin. She had to get back to her letter before someone found it.

\---

The rest of her time at camp was spent with Lena. They trained, talked, and occasionally pranked together. Lena spoke about wanting to take a quest, to prove that even an unclaimed could be strong. Ana opened up about how much she wished her dad would pay more attention to her, maybe teach her about life in general. Lena realized that if Ana had only grown up with her father, there may be a lot she needed to learn. It led to a particularly awkward discussion about bodies and growing up, but it cemented Lena’s place in Ana’s life as best friend, and big sister.

The day before Ana was to leave camp in August, Lena was claimed by her mother. Tyche, the minor goddess of good luck and fortune. Lena had suspected she was a child of Hermes, due to her love of mischief, but that seemed to be just a personality trait. However, it explained why any time Lena pulled a prank by herself it succeeded, or if her armor broke, the Hephaestus Cabin just so happened to have some time to work on it right away.

“Seems like even supernatural good luck can’t make you happy.” Lena had said to Ana afterwards. “But people can. I know you’re going somewhere that you’ve been avoiding telling everyone. I’ve seen you slowly packing up your things. You’ve been getting good at evasive conversation by the way. Anyways, I’m going to miss you kid.” They hugged for a long time afterwards, both silently agreeing not to acknowledge the other’s tears. They hadn’t been friends long, but they were like family now. It would hurt to be separated.

“I’m going to miss you too Lena.” Ana finally whispered her response as the hug ended, wiping her tears from her cheeks. That night, Lena puller her cot next to Ana’s and the talked quietly about mundane things at camp and a desire for adventure.

The next day, Ana left just after breakfast at 7 AM. Alecto was coming to fetch her. Shadow travel did not seem to be in her repertoire of powers, yet at least. Lena accompanied her to camp’s boundary line. 

“Be safe kid, okay? I don’t want to have to come rescue you.” Lena joked. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye.

“I will. If you get a Quest, try not to die. I’ve heard the line to get into the Underworld is long.” Ana shot back. Lena chuckled and lightly pushed Ana over the line. 

“Didn’t you hear kid? I’ve got good luck. I won’t die. But hey, I’ve got something for you.” Lena reached into her pocket and pulled out something small, tossing it over the boundary to Ana.

“I made it from some sea glass I found on Firework Beach.” It was a pendant with a somewhat large piece of golden sea glass fixed in Celestial Bronze like the weapons and armor at camp.

“It’s gold for good luck, see? I had Aaron in the Hephaestus Cabin melt a chunk of my old armor to make the chain and the wire. One of the Aphrodite kids offered to help me put it together.” For the first time in the months that Ana had been at camp, Lena gave a full, eye-crinkling smile. “Come back and visit me soon, kid.”

Lena walked away before the goodbye could get any harder. Ana was tearing up again, as she clasped the pendant around her neck. Alecto showed up a minute or so later and grabbed Ana without greeting, whisking her home for a brief time.

She glad to be home, even if Alecto was still rough in handling her. Alecto had shoved her out of a shadow and into her room, just dropping her off. It wasn’t Ana’s fault that when she was a child, she just happened to throw a ball up in the air while playing with Cerberus when Alecto was flying overhead. In Ana’s defense, she never actually saw the Fury until after Cerberus chomped on her wing and vaporized her. Alecto reformed very quickly too, probably thanks to Lord Hades’ help, and was furious.

“Hogwarts term starts in 2 ½ weeks. Today you will be going to Diagon Alley to go to Gringotts, check into the Leaky Cauldron, and get your school supplies. Use the rest of your time getting used to the wizarding world. Any questions?” Lady Hecate didn’t even turn from fluttering around the Ana’s room, checking her packing.

“No, Aunt Hecate. I’m ready.” They’d already talked about this the last few days, Ana sneaking into the forest to IM her aunt at night. 

“Do you remember how to use wizard money?”

“Yes, Aunt Hecate.”

“Do you remember how to talk to the Goblins?”

“Yes, Aunt Hecate.” Ana’s eyes drooped. Being back home even for a short while was making her comfortable enough to be sleepy, and she and Lena had stayed up too late talking. 

“You’re ready dear, I know you are. But I’m still allowed to worry.” Lady Hecate helped Ana gather her things into one place and shrunk them for Ana to put into her pockets. “Remember, even after you get your wand you are still to practice windlessly like you’ve been doing for the past year. I know you didn’t get much practice at camp, so you need to increase your practices. You don’t want to become reliant on a wand to produce magic.

“Now, here’s your portkey Ana.” Lady Hecate handed her a shiny American quarter. “It will activate when you say the password. You do remember the password, don’t you?” Lady Hecate asked one last question.

Ana fixed her Aunt Hecate with her family’s signature death glare. “Butterfly” she spoke, annoyed. With a violent tug behind her bellybutton, she was gone. 

“Oh, sometimes she reminds me so much of her father.” Lady Hecate laughed. “They’re both fun to rile up.”


	5. Chapter 4

Ana nearly lost her breakfast, the rapid spinning of portkey travel was awful. The abrupt stop threw her to the ground, groaning from the impact against the wooden floor. Portkeys were tortuous, she’d decided. Never again would she use one. How to down a demigod, she thought angrily, just use a portkey. Aunt Hecate could have warned her.

“12:30 from Long Island, New York, United States of America has arrived.” Announced an obviously bored young man. His accent was thick and drawling, quite like how that one woman’s spirit Ana had met when she wandered off from her history lesson when she was 5 and ended up at the Pavilion of Judgement. The woman had been sentenced to the Fields of Asphodel. She was definitely in the UK. At least that horrible portkey had dropped her in the right place. “Welcome to the British Ministry of Magic, Miss…” The man trailed off, looking up from the list of arrivals in his hand. “Ward? As in the Ancient House of Ward?”

“Um, yes sir.” Ana managed to spit out, still reeling from the nausea.

“Well then, welcome back!” His tone abruptly changed to the same tone she’d heard from Charon when he was trying to get Lord Hades to give him a raise. The term Lord Hades had used was ‘ass kisser’ but her father told her she wasn’t allowed to say that. However, he never said she couldn’t think it. “Young Miss Ward, if you would please follow Kiply here. She will take you to a private departure room and take you where you need to go. So, wonderful to see a Ward back on this side of the pond!” The man pushed a tiny, ugly creature towards her. This could be none other than Kiply, as the only other being in the room was a large man in red robes, who didn’t seem to acknowledge anything going on around him. He was shimmering slightly, like he was covered in the Mist. Could wizards use the mist? That must have been why she had not noticed him immediately.

“Kiply is a House Elf, do you have those in the states?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyways, Kiply, take Miss Ward wherever she needs to go then come right back.” The polite smile on his face was obviously forced. Ana decided then that she hated ‘ass kissers’, they were too fake for her, and too obvious about it.

“Kiply be honored to escort the young miss.” The little elf curtsied, her high-pitched voice bordered on annoying.

“Thank you, sir. Have a pleasant afternoon.” Ana tilted her head towards the man, a safe goodbye when you’re not sure of the customs in a new place. She would be polite even if he wouldn’t, the man hadn’t even given her his name.

“You as well Miss Ward, you as well!” The man bowed his head in response before giving Kiply a not-so-gentle shove in the direction of the door, causing the elf to stumble, the too sweet smile still on his face as he ignored potentially hurting the frail looking creature.

Ana frowned as Kiply led her from the room. The house elf wasn’t dressed too well either, aside from looking quite thin. There were multiple patches on her dress, and the hem was distressed and dirty as it dragged against the floor. It wasn’t even the right size. The elf’s appearance coupled with the man’s subtle treatment of her left Ana with a bad taste in her mouth.

Kiply led her down a brightly lit hall filled with doors, more doors than there seemed like there should be. They stopped at a plain wooden door with a simple brass handle. Kiply opened the door for Ana and kept her eyes to the ground as Ana walked through it. It led to a small room with barely enough space for the two arm chairs and coffee table on the other side. The most hideous wallpaper she’d ever seen accosted her eyes. Puke green and red with gold accents were not a good choice.

“These be the leaving rooms. Where does the young miss be wanting to go?” Kiply meekly asked. Ana halted, confused momentarily before remembering the man’s words from earlier. Leaving rooms must be Kiply’s term for the departure point.

“Um, Gringotts Bank, please.” Ana used in her politest voice. She had a suspicion that house elves weren’t treated well, probably worse than Ana was thinking at the moment. Manners would probably go a long way with the poor little thing.

“Yes, young miss!” Kiply immediately perked up. “Young miss is a nice miss. Kiply be taking nice young miss to Gringotts!” Her eyes lit up and Ana was astounded. This reaction confirmed her thoughts, but what was the extent of their bad treatment, Ana wondered.

“Please, Kiply. My name is Ana, you don’t have to call me young miss.” She just wanted the elf to calm down, Kiply looked like she was going to cry soon.

“Nice young miss Ana is the nicest young miss! Telling Kiply to not call her young miss. Yous not need be so nice to Kiply. Kiply takes nice young miss Ana to Gringotts now.” Kiply’s face had flushed a slight pink, and there were indeed tears forming in her eyes. Before Ana could determine if the change in shade was a blush or not, Kiply had grabbed Ana’s hand and whisked her off with a snap.

A mere second later and the pair appeared on the steps of a large, white marble building. It was so tall, Ana could barely see the top of it from the steps. The way house elves travelled was much more comfortable than a portkey. No spinning, just a little tightness in her stomach, and certainly no nausea. It was a pleasant surprise, maybe not all forms of magical travel were bad.

The street was lined with all sorts of shops and all sorts of people. Most of the buildings were made from wood, and all appeared to be different ages. The mostly plain appearances of the store fronts made the gorgeous marble building stand out more. The Magical Menagerie, and Flourish and Blotts were just some of the stores names she saw.

“Gringotts, nice young miss Ana.” The little elf looked up at Ana with eyes sparkling in adoration. Actually sparkling. Was that some kind of house elf magic? 

“Thank you Kiply, I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day.” If Kiply hadn’t been about to burst before, she was now. 

“Beautiful nice young miss Ana be so kind to Kiply! Kiply must tell other elves!” Kiply disappeared with more noise than when they left the Ministry.

Ana shook her head, thrown off by her first encounter with a house elf. She entered the bank and was taken aback by the beauty of the inside. The marble was everywhere and it was gleaming and the ceilings were so high you could fit Cerberus inside! The goblin tellers sat behind gold grates separating them from the wizards. Gringotts was magnificent, and she could see some of the Greek inspiration in the columns and decorative scrollwork.

“Wow.” She whispered. It was so different from the Underworld, maybe this was what Olympus was like? 

“Next!” She heard the goblin to her left call out, the growling of his voice and the sneer on his face were typical of what Aunt Hecate had described when telling her about the goblin nation. They hated wizards.

Ana stepped up to the grate, keeping eye contact with the goblin. Aunt Hecate had said it would be seen as rude and weak to look away before greetings were exchanged. Aunt Hecate had also told her not to use English, it would set her apart from the wizards they so normally hated.

“Merry meet, sir. I would like to open an account here, as I understand Gringotts is the best establishment to do business with.” She spoke in Ancient Greek, tilting her head down and breaking eye contact for a few seconds now that she had made her request.

The goblin just stared at her, his pinched face losing some of its sneer. Ana knew he could understand her, goblin tellers had to be proficient in many languages, including ancient ones. Since he didn’t seem to be responding to her Greek, she decided to do the one thing that she knew would really grab his attention. Ana reached into her pocket, pulled out a gold drachma, and placed in on the counter.

The goblin immediately snatched it up, his warrior reflexes showing for but a second, he kept his eyes on her wearily as he tested its authenticity. His eyes gleamed in the firelight when he determined that it was real.

“Come with me.” He said in Ancient Greek, hopping off his stool and motioning to the end of the hall where the head banker sat, another goblin. Ana followed as told, confused as to what was happening. Aunt Hecate never told her how opening an account went, but then again Ana supposed Aunt Hecate wouldn’t know.

“Alert King Ragnok.” The goblin said to the head banker, another goblin, in what Ana assumed to be the Goblin language. Gobbledegook was what Aunt Hecate said the wizards called it, but that seemed silly. The teller goblin flashed the drachma in his hand. The head teller’s eyes gleamed like the teller’s eyes had, nodded his head, and opened the rear doors. Ana was even more confused now. What in the world was going on?

Behind the main hall, she saw a cart system, but they didn’t take it. Instead, the goblin hooked a right down a long hallway. They took so many twists and turns that Ana knew she wouldn’t be able to get out on her own.

They came to another rail system and seated themselves into the cart at the top. The rail dropped dramatically not ten feet from the front of the cart. The cart edged forward slowly on its own. As they reached the drop, Ana saw that the rail system spiraled and corkscrewed further on, but the drop had to be at least 100 feet.

She nearly screamed as the cart tipped over the edge. They flew along the rail at an incredible rate. Ana quickly got passed her initial terror from the new experience. It was fun! Her braid whipped around behind her as they took a sharp turn.

The ride down only lasted about five minutes but Ana had a blast. It was terrifying but fun, though she knew the goblin wouldn’t like her expressing her joy. Goblins hated wizards and wouldn’t want to see her having fun.

Once they were off the cart, the goblin led her through more hallways and more turns, Ana was thoroughly lost. She started twirling her braid, a nervousness settling in the pit of her stomach.

Finally, they turned and ended at a very tall set of gold doors. Ana supposed they were made of real gold, but that didn’t make it any more impressive. Lord Hades’ doors were larger and made of onyx with intricate carvings of souls and all of the places in the Underworld. The God of the Dead’s throne room doors were in a league of their own.

“In here.” The goblin spoke gruffly, going through a small door hidden within one of the gold doors.

Ana found herself in a room that looked like a mix of a regular throne room, and a colosseum. Dimly lit by torches fixed to the rock walls of the cavern. This was not good. Why do demigods have the worst luck?

The goblin led her to the center of the room and pounded on his chest three times, shouting something in their language, she refused to call it Gobbledegook. If she survived this, she would have to ask if anyone knew what the language was really called. The gobbling hadn’t sounded angry, but she was still unsure of what was happening. If she was going to be attacked, she would be ready. Her father had taught her to always expect the worst and be prepared for it.

Ana was in full fight or flight mode, her adrenalin pumping through her body. She was deep in the heart of the goblin nation, in the United Kingdom. No Lena, no Keao, not even Brandon could help her here. Neither could her father or Lord Hades. She was alone, potentially against an entire nation of goblins. If she was to go down, she would go down fighting. She readied herself to draw her xiphos at any moment. Koráki, the sword in her left bracelet, and Ochiá, the sword in her right bracelet, would hopefully get to see good combat before the goblins inevitably overwhelmed her.

“At ease demigod!” a gravelly voice thundered through the cavernous room. “You are in no danger here, yet.”

The goblin whose voice nearly burst her eardrums appeared from behind the large throne 30 feet in front of her. She now knew why a goblin needed that large of a throne. This goblin was huge! Much taller than any other goblin she’d seen so far, and wider too. His golden armor looked molten in the firelight. He had the typical goblin grin, two rows of sharp teeth showing from nearly ear to ear.

He settled himself in the throne, a guard of goblin warriors appeared around him. Just what did they think she was here to do?

“What brings you to Gringotts, demigod?” The goblin on the throne demanded. This time his voice wasn’t as painfully loud. Her eardrums thanked him.

“I am here to open a vault, sir.” She covered her unease well for a child, but could not help breaking eye contact. Goblin eyes were unsettling enough, being all black, but this goblin held an aura that made him...dangerous.

“Why would a demigod need a vault? Who are you, girl?” He was calm, his face seemed like a mixture of amusement and distrust. He was relaxed in his throne, completely confident that even if she was a threat, she would be dispatched quickly.

“Anastasia Ward, sir. Daughter of Victoria Ward and direct descendant of Frederick Ward. A demigod, yes, but a witch as well.” Her unease was gone and replaced by annoyance at always getting in these types of situations. First with King Minos in the Underworld, he seemed to hate her for some reason. Then Lord Poseidon briefly interrogated her over the summer after kidnapping her. Now it was happening with the Goblins. Curse demigod bad luck!

The shock was barely evident on the large goblin’s scarred face. His left brow rose marginally.

“A demigod and a witch? A Ward as well?” The goblin paused. “This is interesting, girl.” His black eyes narrowed, looking closely at Ana. “The last wizard and demigod to our knowledge was the wizard Merlin. He was a son of Lady Hecate.”

Ana didn’t react to that; Lady Hecate had already told her about her children within the wizarding world. He continued to inspect Ana, searching for something. She stared right back at him, more confident now that some of the threat to her had seemingly lessened. He nodded, finding whatever he was looking for. 

“You have may have potential as an ally, demigod. I am Ragnok! Goblin King and director of Gringotts banks worldwide!” The guards around him pounded their chest armor in response to the authoritative declaration. “So long as you do not harm a goblin, and follow the rules of the bank, no member of the nation shall harm you.” He announced.

“Bogrod!” King Ragnok shouted at the Goblin next to Ana. Why he shouted, Ana didn’t know. It’s not like they couldn’t hear him. Bogrod hurriedly stepped forward and stood at attention. “Get a vault for demigod Ward.”

Bogrod pounded his chest with one fist thrice again and turned to Ana. “This way, demigod Ward.” Ana bowed deeply to the King Ragnok before turning to the door, following the already leaving Bogrod.

“Wait.” The King commanded. Ana and Bogrod froze in their tracks, turning on their heels to face him once more.

“If Victoria Ward was your mother then you are not a child of Lady Hecate like Merlin. Which god is your father, demigod Ward?” Ana winced at his question, at least his tone contained only curiosity.  Everything had gone so well considering she originally thought she was going to be killed. Her answer might change reality to meet her previous concerns. 

“My father is Lord Thanatos, King Ragnok.” She stated reluctantly but politely. This time both of the King’s brows fully rose. Bogrod flinched away from Ana, death was scary for even goblins it seemed.

“So, the God of Death sired a demigod.” King Ragnok muttered, though it was heard by everyone. He didn’t seem to have a quiet volume. Ana bet even his whispers could be heard around the room.

“May your vault overflow with gold.” King Ragnok said with finality, dismissing Ana. She was shocked. This type of farewell was reserved for members of the nation or extremely respected allies. Thankfully Aunt Hecate had taught her how to respond, just in case.

“And may the blood of your enemies run a river at your feet.” She bowed deeply once more. This had gone much better than she ever thought it would. The grin on King Ragnok’s face was positively feral, but this time his eyes showed the difference. This grin was a good thing. 

Bogrod stared dumbfounded for a few seconds before shaking his head, as if to clear the disbelief from his mind. Ana’s manners and heritage had just earned her the status of an ally of the Nation, just a step below the title of Friend.

“Come, Ally Ward.” Bogrod’s voice was gravelly and low.

“Thank you, Bogrod.” Ana responded as politely but firmly as she could.

\---

An hour later Ana was set up with a high security vault, had seen a dragon up close, and had converted some drachma into wizard currency. The exchange rate was very much in her favor. A single drachma got her 8 galleons! 

She got herself checked into the tavern and inn known as the Leaky Cauldron, as planned by Aunt Hecate, after asking a strange blonde man, and his equally strange daughter who mumbled about something called ‘nargles’, how to get there. They may have been weird, but they were nice. Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, was nice too. He was a bit confused as to why she was here all alone but figured that Americans, Ana’s accent gave her away, just did things differently with their kids.

Her room was on the second floor. Nothing special, pretty bare as decoration goes. She had a bed, a dresser, and a desk with a chair. The bathroom was also small, but she was a child so the lack of space didn’t bother her as much as it might an adult.

“If you want lunch, your first one is on the house.” Tom had said before she went up to her room. Despite his gruff exterior, Tom had a soft spot for kids. (she said he was nice does he have a gruff exterior) 

Ana thought she just might take him up on that offer soon. But first, she had to unshrink her belongings. She pulled the trunk out of one of her pockets, glad she hadn’t lost it, and set it on the ground. She did not want to be holding it when she unshrunk it. 

Aunt Hecate had been working on simple spells with her before she’d left for camp. Most of the spells were kinetic spells, involving moving an object. She’d learned levitation, though she had a weight limit, summoning, banishing, and vanishing.

 Some of those may have been considered advanced for someone her age, but Aunt Hecate said “Magic is all intent. If you intend to do something, and you have the magic to do it, you will.”

Charms came fairly easy to her, but Aunt Hecate thought it best to teach her the spell to remove general enchantments, just in case. Five spells learned before starting Hogwarts hopefully wouldn’t stand out too much. She could always blame it on differences in US and UK education.

“ _Finite Incantatem_!” Ana cast firmly, her hand on the tiny object. Her black leather trunk slowly grew back to its original size. She sighed in relief, she hadn’t been able to practice magic much at camp and she’d been worried she would have to get Tom to help her.

Now that her belongings were restored to their normal state, she grabbed her Hogwarts letter and stuffed it in the back pocket of her dark wash jeans. She took off her Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and replaced it with a plain black blouse. She’d been getting too many looks wandering around with that shirt on. The strange blonde girl had been really curious about it too. Her black combat boots should be fine, they were a spare pair that had been barely worn and not scuffed.

Now that she was presentable, she sped downstairs for a snack. Breakfast for her had only been a little over two hours ago, but here in the UK it was almost 3 PM. Plus, demigod appetites are quite large. She could eat another full meal if she wanted to.

She’d been expecting food like she got at home, or even at camp. Tom gave her fish and chips. It was not up to par with her usual tastes.

“Do the British use anything besides salt for seasoning?” She whispered sadly. She’d been spoiled so far. Humans just couldn’t cook like Satyrs, and definitely didn’t compare to her Aunt Hecate’s culinary magic. But here, she may have to get used to eating sad tasting food.

\---

After her sad snack, she set out to explore Diagon Alley and get her school supplies. Getting her wand could not be put off until later, she was too excited to wait.

Ana exited the Leaky Cauldron and headed down Diagon Alley, wandering around until she found Ollivander’s Wands. Her aunt had warned her about Mr. Ollivander. His family was strange, she’d said. Almost all of them were clear sighted, meaning they could see through the mist that caused mortals not to see the supernatural world. The Ollivanders were one of the only wizarding families in the UK that were certain of the existence of the Greek gods. But that didn’t mean that Ana was to let Mr. Ollivander know she was a demigod.

The shop was old and filled with dust, making her cough as she walked in. The walls were completely covered in shelves stuffed with wand boxes. Mr. Ollivander was waiting behind his counter, cleaning some of the wands.

“Welcome, welcome. I am Garrick Ollivander, owner of Ollivander’s Wands and wand maker. It has been a few generations since a Ward has stepped foot in this shop.” He said in a mischievous tone.

Why. Why did everyone she met have to be so strange? Why her? Give a demigod a break!

“How do you know I am a Ward?” Ana was once again suspicious of a someone in the wizarding world. She sensed a pattern forming.

“The wards, dear, they told me. Your family invented most of the wards and barriers used by wizards, including the one on this shop that alerts me to the family name of everyone who enters. That ward though, is a rare one. A special favor from your family.” Mr. Ollivander explained. Ana got the feeling she would need to learn more about her family before heading to Hogwarts. She didn’t like other people knowing more than she did about these things.

“Oh.” Was her only response. “Um, my name is Anastasia, sir. I’m here for my–”

“Your first wand, yes. I know.” Mr. Ollivander interrupted. “Which arm is your wand arm?”

Technically Ana had started training to be ambidextrous when she was young, her father and aunt didn’t want her to rely too much on one hand or the other. But, she was born right arm dominant like most people, so she lifted that one.

“Wonderful!” Mr. Ollivander exclaimed before flicking his wand. A couple measuring tapes shot out of the end of it, zipping around her frantically. She smacked the first one that came near her face, it smacked her hand back. Ana left them alone after that.

The hurried measuring was over as abruptly as it started. Mr. Ollivander was already at a shelf looking for a wand when she looked back at him.

He pulled a newer box out, not as much dust as some of the others. He should really hire someone for that. Or maybe he likes the look, who knows.

“Chestnut and Unicorn Hair, 11 inches even, quite flexible.” He stated simply, holding the box out to her.

Ana gently picked up the wand, never having held one before. It hummed for a second before burning her. Ana sucked in a breath from the pain, dropping the wand right back in the box. She held her hand against her chest and glared at the wand, it didn’t have to be so rude in its rejection.

“Hmm, I thought so.” Mr. Ollivander closed the box and began searching for the next wand for her to try.

A string of rejections followed. Apple and Dragon Heartstring? Foul smoke exploded from the wand. Holly and Phoenix Feather? There was a slight warmth but then it wouldn’t respond. Nine more wands after those and Ana still hadn’t been chosen. It was frustrating for her. Mr. Ollivander looked determined though, but Ana was starting to feel like she would never get her wand.

Mr. Ollivander had disappeared into an even older looking room, completely covered in dust and cobwebs. He took his time in there, rummaging around for five whole minutes. Ana was getting more anxious by the second.

“Aha!” She heard Mr. Ollivander exclaim from the other room. The wand maker reentered the lobby, covered in dust with a cobweb hanging from his nose. “It was buried under the others, but I found it. I’m certain this time.” He held the box out to her, revealing a pale wand nearly as straight as a ruler.

“Aspen and Thestral tail hair, 11 ¾ inches, unyielding. Good for charms and excellent for martial magic. This was made many, many years ago by my grandfather. I was certain it would never choose a witch or wizard to wield it.” His face was confident and it restored some of Ana’s hope.

She tentatively reached out to the wand, and wrapped her fingers around it. She felt nothing at first, and almost put the wand back before a light the color of her Aunt Hecate’s formal robes shot out from the end of the wand. The light wrapped around her protectively, like a blanket, and she felt like she was back home in the Underworld. Ana grinned from ear to ear, she’d been chosen. 

“Wonderful! Thirteen tries, but we finally found your match.” His proud smile went unnoticed by Ana, she was too busy staring at her wand in wonder.

“There is some hidden detailing on this particular wand. Back in my grandfather’s days he liked to experiment with combining multiple wand woods into a single wand. Most never worked, some were disasters, and of the few that he successfully combined, only a handful chose someone. Yours is one of those experiments.” He shuffled closer to Ana, reaching his hand to the wand and pointing to the handle.

“If you look closely here, you’ll see a Cypress wood inlay.” Ana hadn’t even noticed that, the Cypress wood was nearly the same color as the Aspen wood. “It makes a symbol you’ve probably never come across before. It is the Greek letter Theta. I don’t know why my grandfather included that, but to each maker their own.”

Ana had frozen. Theta. The symbol of her father. There was almost never such a thing as coincidence in the life of a demigod. This wand had been made for her specifically.

“That’ll be 12 galleons Miss Ward. I apologize for the increase in price, but that wand is very unique.” Ana numbly nodded and handed him twelve of the fat, gold coins in her pocket.

“Thank you, Mr. Ollivander.” She spoke quietly, this day was too much. She needed to IM her aunt.

“You’re welcome Miss Ward. I expect to see you again someday, that wand is too powerful to choose someone mediocre.” Ana barely paid him anymore attention as she rushed out of his shop and back down to the Leaky Cauldron. Her other school supplies could wait until tomorrow. She needed to talk to her Aunt Hecate, immediately.


	6. Chapter 5

Ana weaved her way through the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron as fast as she could. She was panicking. She’d always had issues with anxiety, demigods were not immune to mental illness it seemed. It was certainly possible she’d inherited something from her mother. Ana had only suffered one anxiety attack in her life so far, and that was about three years ago, when she was 8.

One day after skipping her daily lessons to explore the Underworld, Ana had come close the entrance to Tartarus. She’d heard the screams and roars of monsters and curiosity led her to follow the sounds. It wasn’t long before she’d heard the whispers of Tartarus himself. He’d called out to her, telling her she would never escape him now that she’d found him. Vivid images had suddenly appeared in her head, and her breath had caught in her throat.

Tartarus showed her that he would take her and lock her up in slowly tightening chains. The chains would break her bones and rupture her organs, but he would never let her die, healing her fully. Then he would let her go, and the chase would begin. He would hunt her down, and he would always win. He would capture her again and the torture would start all over. Ana had been frozen in fear. The malicious whispers whirled around her as she began to hyperventilate.

Melinoe, the goddess of ghosts, had found Ana first and protected her from Tartarus’ twisted power. But by then Ana had collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Her chest had hurt, like Tartarus had stuck a chain right through her heart, and she was sweating like she was next to a bowl of Greek Fire. The images wouldn’t leave, they looped over and over. It was too much. She couldn’t breathe! Her vision was tunneling, and the small amount of light near the entrance to Tartarus vanished. She’d barely heard Melinoe call out her father’s name before she’d slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Everything that had happened today, while certainly not as traumatic as back then, was just too much for Ana. Saying goodbye to Lena, getting whisked away to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, meeting a house elf, thinking she was going to die at Gringotts and then somehow leaving as an ally, and finally getting a wand that was obviously made for her. She just wanted to hide, but most importantly she needed to talk to her Aunt Hecate.

Ana darted up the stairs to her room on the second floor, fumbling with the key she’d been given. Her hands were shaking too much for her to smoothly insert the key. It took a few moments but she successfully unlocked and opened her door. Ana flung herself inside before shutting and relocking the door.

Ana’s breathing was becoming erratic, she was hyperventilating but she couldn’t stop. She stumbled into her cramped bathroom, nearly hitting her knee on the toilet. She raised her shaking hand and turned on the shower. The water created a mist, it would have to work. She needed to talk to her Aunt Hecate!

“O-oh Iris, g-goddess of the R-rainbow, p-p-please ac-ccept my of-f-fering!” Ana chanted, her voice trembling as badly as her hands, throwing a drachma into the spray. “P-please, s-s-show me L-lady H-hec-cate in the Un-nderworld!” Iris Messaging, or IMing, was the only way she knew of to contact her family.

A rainbow flashed over the water, swirling into an image of Lady Hecate sitting with her daughter Circe. Both of them immediately looked to the message and saw a frazzled, panicking Ana.

“Ana, is everything alright? You’ve only been gone a few hours.” Lady Hecate looked genuinely concerned. Circe, Lady Hecate’s goddess daughter, just sat back in her plush chair, giving Ana a half-hearted wave. It wasn’t that Circe didn’t like Ana, it was that Circe couldn’t seem to convince Ana that men were better off being turned into guinea pigs.

“I-I was so sc-scared!” Ana gripped onto the shower curtain for support, her legs felt like anchors trying to drag her to the floor.

“Breathe Ana. In for four counts, out for eight, just like I taught you.” Lady Hecate dismissed Circe, knowing that it would be best for no one else to be here. Ana didn’t like it when others witnessed her anxiety attacks.

Ana took a deep breath in, mentally counting to four before slowly breathing out. It took a while, and inserting another drachma to keep the call going, but Ana managed to relay what all had happened that day.

“M-my wand has a-a theta o-on it! I-it was meant f-for me! H-how could he have kn-known?” Ana finished, her cries and stuttering slowly fading as emotional exhaustion took over.

“He could have known or been a Seer, Ana. I created the wizarding world, but it has evolved in ways I never thought possible. Prophecy was supposed to be solely Apollo’s domain, but one of his demigods managed to find wizarding society back in ancient times. Cassandra was a famous wizarding Seer, she was the daughter of a witch and a son of Apollo. Her mother’s magic and her father’s gifts combined into a potent recipe for visions. The gift of Sight still lives in the descendants of Cassandra today. Other Seers, not related to a child of Apollo, get their power from magic itself. That was a development I did not expect.” Lady Hecate explained cautiously.

“B-but does that mean s-someone Saw me? W-why me?” Ana asked, more confused than she was before.

“I don’t know, little butterfly.” Lady Hecate sighed. It was a lie, but this was not something to burden an anxiety ridden eleven-year-old with. Perhaps in a year, once things had settled, they could tell her. “It is certainly possible but it is not something you should worry about right now. You’ve had a trying day, but you’ve survived it. I know this is all scary, but I am so proud of you for taking this step.”

Ana quieted and focused on her breathing. Aunt Hecate was right, even if it was true there was nothing she could do about it right now. Just breathe, she reminded herself, in for four and out for eight. It took a minute or two but she was calmed down enough for the shaking to stop completely.

“Thank you, Aunt Hecate. I’m sorry for interrupting your meeting with Lady Circe.” Ana smiled weakly, eyelids drooping from emotional exhaustion.

“Any time you need me, I will be here. Just make sure you are discrete when contacting me. The wizarding world is not supposed to know about gods and demigods. They could wreak havoc on our world, with monsters at their side or in their employ, the wizarding world could not only destroy itself, but also could destroy us all.” Lady Hecate cautioned. “Do not let one of them catch you using an Iris Message. Wizards can be as greedy for ‘new’ magic as Athena is with new books.”

“I understand, Aunt Hecate. I will be discrete.” Ana promised resolutely.

“Good girl. Now, you look like you need a nap. Dinner time is not too far away for you and you need to rest.” Lady Hecate all but outright ordered.

“Yes ma’am. Thank you again Aunt Hecate, I love you!” Ana smiled genuinely at her aunt.

“I love you too Ana. Sleep well.” Lady Hecate swiped her hand through the shimmering image of Ana waving goodbye, and sighed. The poor girl’s demigod luck had followed her to the wizarding world as expected. She could only hope that Ana would survive her years there, Lady Hecate wanted nothing more than to bring her back and shelter her in the Underworld forever.

Back in the Leaky Cauldron, Ana shut of the shower spray and shuffled her way into the main room. She collapsed on her bed and groaned. She’d had enough of people for the day and if she had her way she wouldn’t see another person for a few days, she needed to calm down fully before interacting extensively with another person again. Sadly, she still had needs that required going downstairs to the dining area which was almost always packed with people. She would just have to try and keep her interactions to a minimum.

So, that was what Ana did. She left her small room for meals, but sat in a corner of the bar area, not speaking to anyone but Tom. He let her sit there so he could keep an eye on her. It might not be his business why she was here alone, but he’d be damned if he let her get hurt while she stayed at his establishment. Lucky for Ana, nobody really noticed her, which she thought was odd. Most adults would question a child alone in a place like the Leaky Cauldron, but apparently most wizards didn’t care.

After three days of limited contact with other people, Ana felt comfortable and calm enough to finish her school shopping. She went out into the alley after she finished her sad breakfast of too salty eggs and toast so crispy it was practically burnt. Tom had been kind enough to step away from his bar to open the gateway for her.

Right away Ana saw a large crowd of people on the slightly narrow alley. Sure, it wasn’t stuffed to the brim with shoppers, but it was enough to put her on alert. Some were sitting at a tea shop’s outdoor area, some were window shopping, and some others were reading a newspaper called The Daily Prophet.

In bold letters on the top of the front page of the newspaper was the date, August 10th, and the headline “Boy-Who-Lived Returns, Hogwarts Bound!”. What a weird title, Ana thought. Just who was that article about and what did they live from? She wanted to go over and see but it would be rude of her to read over a stranger’s shoulder, not like she wanted to get close to a stranger anyways, and she had no idea where to get a newspaper for herself to read the story. She quelled her curiosity quickly to focus on her errands, she didn’t want to spend too much time in the alley. More time spent out of the safety of her room meant it was more likely for something to go wrong.

Ana pulled out her supply list for her first year at Hogwarts. First on the list were elements of a uniform, so she would start there. It didn’t take her observant eyes long to locate Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions farther down the alley. The letters on her list and on the store fronts jumped around a little like things did for all Demigods. Ana’s wizarding genes didn’t keep her from the dyslexia, her brain was hardwired for ancient Greek just like everyone else back at Camp Half-Blood. Thankfully though, it seemed her wizarding blood lessened the severity of her dyslexia. It wasn’t too difficult for her to read short sentences, or store names, or headlines, but she did have trouble with full paragraphs and large bodies of text.

Ana made quick work out of her walk down the alley, expertly slipping around people walking slowly and in between others who felt like taking up their whole side of the alley just to all walk next to each other. The bell above the door tinkled as she entered Madam Malkin’s. The shop was empty save for a middle-aged woman who stuck her head out from a doorway in the back of the shop at the sound of the bell.

“Welcome, welcome! I’m Madam Malkin. I’ll be with you in a moment!” Madam Malkin declared cheerfully as she ducked back into the back room, the sounds of rustling fabric were the only indication that the woman was even still back there.

While she waited, Ana looked around the shop. Madam Malkin’s had a few racks of premade robes in the corner of the store near the doorway to the back room. Some were fancy, draped, and bejeweled. Others were plain, and very few had patterns on them. Almost all of them looked to be made out of different fabrics. Ana noticed two podiums in the center of the room, presumably for fittings, and curtained changing rooms just next to the platforms. She would compare it to American stores but between living in the Underworld and going to camp for one summer, she’d never been in one. Lady Circe and Lady Persephone had told her about them though so she could sort of imagine one, they both loved shopping. They never actually bought anything, but they would copy some of the styles and outfits and dress Ana up in them. Doll time was not fun time.

The wall on the right was covered in shelves from top to bottom with different types of fabric in many colors and patterns, the shelving ran the whole length of the store and were practically overflowing! The store didn’t have the kind of ‘cold’ feeling she expected it to have. It looked like a well-used but still nice store, it gave her a feeling similar to when she walked into the Leaky Cauldron. It was very welcoming. Ana’s observations stopped there as Madam Malkin came bustling into the main room.

“Alright, how can I help you dearie?” The older woman grinned warmly.

“I need…um,” Ana checked her list of supplies, “Three pairs of plain black robes, a winter cloak with silver fastenings, and a pointed hat for Hogwarts, please.”

“Ah, I thought you looked Hogwarts age. You’re a bit young to be buying dress robes for a ministry ball.” Madam Malkin joked with a wink. Ana smiled politely at her. At least she seems normal, Ana thought to herself.

“Just step on the platform, dearie. I’ll need to get your measurements.” Madam Malkin instructed.

Unlike when Ana went to Ollivander’s, getting her robes was a calm, totally not weird experience. Madam Malkin didn’t make much small talk, she was intently focused on her job. Madam Malkin liked to take the measurements by hand, only using magic to retrieve her supplies. She was organized as well; all of her supplies were kept in a rectangular box a little over a foot long and three-quarters as wide with dividers set in it to give each type of item its own place. It was nice, not having measuring tapes whipping around her. The anxiety that had built up when she first stepped into the alley had almost faded away.

The fitting for everything took an hour which was shorter than Ana had expected. But then again, she didn’t really know how long these kinds of things took anyway. Madam Malkin waved her wand and wordlessly sent her box of supplies away with what looked to be a banishment charm to wherever the woman stored them. Ana had never done a banishing charm with a wand before so she could only guess what spell it was by the sudden disappearance of the box, and knowing that Madam Malkin wouldn’t want to vanish her supplies.

“You’re all set, dearie,” Madam Malkin’s voice brought Ana out of her pondering, “I can have your order ready in three hours. I would be able to do it sooner, but I have some set appointments today and I wouldn’t want to tell you a sooner time just in case it gets too busy here. Three hours should be plenty, and it would give you time to get more of your shopping done.”

“That sounds fine ma’am. Should I pay now, or when I pick up my order?” Ana asked politely, she had no idea how long it took to make robes and such so she couldn’t be angry at a three-hour estimate.

“When you pick everything up is perfectly alright, dear. May I have a name to place the order under?” Madam Malkin smiled as she moved to the front counter and pulled out her order log.

“My name is Anastasia Ward, ma’am.” Ana had no issue with giving the nice woman her name. This had been the most normal and least anxiety raising encounter Ana had had in the wizarding world so far, and she was grateful for it.

“My, my, a Ward back in London. I’d been wondering why a young, American girl wouldn’t be going to an American school, but this makes sense.” Madam Malkin nodded sagely. “Of course you would come to Hogwarts, the Wards are too important to our society for you to go anywhere else.”

Well, Ana thought, that ruined it. She stared blankly at Madam Malkin, she was getting tired of other people knowing more about her family than she herself did. Ana resolver to look for a book that might contain information on her family when she went to go buy her books for her classes.

“Anyways, Miss Ward. I shall see you in three hours. Pleasant shopping!” Madam Malkin smiled at Ana one last time before turning and walking into the back room, leaving Ana alone.

Ana shook her head slightly, as if clearing the cobwebs from the corners of her mind. She’d gotten lost in thinking about the Wards. Why did everyone seem to know their name?

She left Madam Malkin’s robe shop quickly, deciding to continue her shopping and hope the rest of her day was normal. Checking her list for an idea of where to go next, she decided to get the heaviest items out of the way so she could take them back to her room. That meant going to buy a cauldron, scales and phials, a telescope, and a pair of dragon hide gloves.

Ana went to Wizacre’s Wizarding Equipment first as that store seemed like it would have some of what she needed. She was right. They had everything except the cauldron. The telescope was brass and plain, like the scales she bought. Ana saw no reason to get crystal phials instead of glass ones so she chose the cheaper option. The lady working behind the counter was nice enough to turn a sickle into a large, canvas bag for Ana to carry her items in. Most students would have a parent or guardian shopping with them to shrink and pocket their purchased items, but Ana was alone.

Next, she went to Potage’s Cauldron Shop to get a pewter cauldron. It was just as heavy as she expected it to be and Ana was glad to have her demigod strength. She was a little stronger than mundane children her age, as all demigods were. Currently she had the physical strength of an average girl three years older than her. It wasn’t much, but it helped in situations like this, and would help in the future if she ever got in a fight. Fighting other demigods at camp gave her no advantages, and fighting heroes in the Underworld put Ana at a distinct disadvantage.

She lugged her bag of items back to her room at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom saw her struggling a little with the bag and was kind enough to give her a hand up to her room. He never said much, but Ana was sure that he was a genuinely nice man who was probably at least a little concerned about her being alone.

Ana checked her list again and saw that she would be allowed an owl, cat, or toad. Given how animals reacted to her every time she came near one, that did not seem like a good idea. It would be the best for the animals, herself, and people around her if she stayed away from any animal as much as she could. It was sad though, she like animals and wanted to be around them. It was a small tragedy for her that they could sense her connection to death.

Ana’s trips to the other shops only took two of the three hours she had to wait for her robes so she spent the last hour practicing wandless magic in her room. She needed to practice to keep the skill up, so she summoned and banished various objects in her room. She was a little rusty, it had been nearly a week since she last practiced and it was like exercising for the first time after a long break. It took a few tries but she was zipping items around the room in no time.

At noon, three hours after she had first set out into Diagon Alley, Ana made her way to Madam Malkin’s to pick up her order. She sucked in a breath as she entered the alley, it was even more crowded than it was earlier. For the first time since the Gringotts incident, Ana lightly twirled her braid around her fingers as she ducked in between people to try and get to her destination as soon as possible.

When she got there, Madam Malkin was fitting a boy about her age for what looked to be school robes, it was the same fabric she herself had been draped in earlier. An old woman stood off to the side watching them. The seamstress turned to look over her shoulder and gave Ana the same gentle smile from earlier.

“Ah, you’re back. Let me finish placing this pin and I will be right with you.” Madam Malkin was working on the boy’s cuff fitting. She placed a pin to hold the current measurement together and stood, knees quietly creaking. “Now,” she turned back to the boy, “don’t move or you’ll stick yourself.”

Ana’s lip quirked up at the sight of the boy tensing so much it looked like he’d turned to stone. He looked like he was even holding his breath.

“Alright,” Madam Malkin reached under the front counter and placed a neatly folded and wrapped stack of clothing on top of it, “you’re all set Miss Ward. That will be sixty-two galleons even for everything today.” The elderly woman, who had just reminded the boy to breath, looked up at Madam Malkin’s words. Ana felt immediately unnerved by the woman’s hawk-like stare and the ugly stuffed vulture perched on the woman’s hat. Before it could get weird, Ana decided it was time to leave. She handed the friendly seamstress the galleons owed and left the store quickly after saying a quiet thank you.

Ana still needed to get her books, and some information on her family, but she’d seen an ice cream shop earlier and decided to treat herself. The UK was nearly twenty degrees cooler, in Fahrenheit, then Long Island was when she left, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get ice cream. There was always time for ice cream.

She dipped and dived between people in the alley again, which had gotten even more crowded if possible, and slipped into the ice cream store across the way. The parlor had an indoor seating area and a few outdoor tables, both areas were nearly full. Ana spotted only three small empty tables. The line she was standing in wasn’t that bad, only five people were in front of her so it wouldn’t take too long. The bell dinged above the door, signaling stat someone had entered behind her.

“You have behaved well this morning, that is the only reason why we are here.” Ana heard a woman whisper.

“Thank you, mother.” A young boy answered.

“Just remember, your father is not to hear of this.” The boy’s mother said sternly.

“Yes, mother.” Her son whispered excitedly.

Curious, Ana positioned herself to where she could see the pair behind her from the corner of her eye. There was no doubt that they were related, they had the same platinum blonde hair, though the boy’s hair had a slight silvery sheen to his. They had the same nose and eye shape as well. The boy looked to be her age as well, like the boy at Madam Malkin’s, and Ana briefly considered introducing herself but she was overcome with a wave a social anxiety. She didn’t want to be awkward. The boy took care of that though, when she placed her order a few minutes later.

“Hello young miss, what will you be having today?” A man in his late 50’s behind the counter spoke.

“I would like a single scoop of vanilla, please.” Ana’s American accent stuck out even more with all of the people talking around her.

“Vanilla?” The boy spoke incredulously. “There are flavors like Dark Chocolate Chunk Lemon-Raspberry and Sea Salt Caramel Truffle, and you choose Vanilla?” He rolled his eyes and scoffed derisively. “Americans.”

“Draco!” His mother admonished in a hushed tone, gripping his shoulder tightly.

Ana turned to look at him fully, giving him a half-strength glare. The boy, Draco, just gave her a haughty look. She wanted to smack it off his face.

“I know what I like,” Ana responded coldly, “and I get what I like.” She quickly spun back towards the man behind the counter.

“My apologies sir, might I have two scoops instead of one?” Ana asked so sweetly that it made Draco bristle in anger. Was this somewhat petty? Yes. Did Draco deserve it for his behavior? Also yes.

“Of course, miss. That will be one galleon and two knuts.” The man said, holding back a chuckle at Draco’s reddening face.

As she exchanged her money for her ice cream, Ana felt Draco’s eyes burning into the back of her skull. She smirked. Lena had taught her the joys of irritating boys back at camp. The sons of Ares were fun to mess with, but they hated her and could get very violent. The sons of Demeter were Ana’s favorites to annoy. The made the best faces when she “accidentally” killed a plant they were looking after. She never did it with the girls in the cabin around though. They got genuinely upset whenever Ana killed a plant and Ana was setting out to annoy, not harm.

Ana turned to leave and find a table when she was stopped by the voice of Draco’s mother.

“Are you here alone?” The woman questioned carefully.

“Yes ma’am, but I can take care of myself. I do thank you for your concern for my well-being.” Ana responded quietly.

“Well then, I simply must insist that you join us at a table. Draco must correct his rude behavior and Mr. Fortesque here,” the woman indicated to the man behind the counter, “has an incredibly popular parlor and seems to be quite busy today. I’m sure he would appreciate us sharing.” The woman smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, as Mr. Forteqsue blushed lightly at the compliment. “Would you give my son a chance to apologize?”

“Thank you, ma’am. It would be rude of me to turn down such a thoughtful offer.” Ana smiled herself, one equally as false as Draco’s mother’s.

“Delightful. Draco, go pick out a table for us and make sure to properly escort this young lady.” His mother ordered.

“Yes, mother.” He huffed quietly, offering his elbow to Ana. Ana didn’t really want to touch a stranger, especially one that had been so rude before, so she spotted a table herself and walked over to it with her ice cream in hand. Draco grumbled something unintelligible and followed her. He pulled back a chair for her to appease his mother whom he was sure was watching them.

“Thank you.” Ana said quietly as she sat down in the offered chair. Draco tensed as assisted her in getting pushed in properly before going to sit on the opposite side of the table. He placed his hands in his lap and refused to look anywhere in her direction. His mother was on her way to them with what looked to be a small bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream topped with fresh strawberries, and a double scoop cone of the earlier mentioned Chocolate Chunk Lemon-Raspberry.

Well, Ana thought, this would be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here is a bit of an explanation as to what has been going on, for those who care. I've started my last semester of college undergrad and I have 3 research projects I am working on this semester. It is very busy. To add to that my home life has been very stressful recently but hopefully it will get better. I have depression and lately, with all of the stress from school and home it has been hard to cope and I have taken a major hit to my energy levels and my motivation. I write sporadically, when I actually feel motivated, so it will take longer for me to update chapters, but I hope that this will change as well. Thank you all for being so understanding, much love! -TOIC

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! TOIC here, any terms or characters you recognize obviously do not belong to me. I'm just playing around in the worlds of Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling. I wanted a way to plausibly connect my two favorite fandoms and I believe this is it. I'm going to try an upload every weekend but sometimes life gets in the way. Thank you for reading!


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